Montgomery, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,194, describes an exercise device with a crossbar that is rigidly bent to a pre-determined configuration. The bar can be vertically adjusted using springs with rubberized portions using friction to hold the bar in place. As can be appreciated rubber can wear out and coefficients of friction can change over time and with varying loads. As a result the integrity of the adjustment and safety can be jeopardized. The cross-bar can not be adjusted lengthwise to allow for wider or smaller arm span nor can the grip portion of the bar be adjusted to allow for personal preference or to alter the exercise. The device takes up a lot of space as folding for easy storage is not provided.
A push-up apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,802 provides for a pair of handles that are able to rotate in a circle around an axis perpendicular to the floor in an attempt to ease the tension provided on the hands, wrists, and arms. It also provides the user the ability to change the width between the two handles to allow for various sized users. The device does not allow for vertical adjustments and thus is not suitable for a beginner or for users with varying abilities. The handles are freely rotatable which may result in instability of the hands and arms during the exercise.
The apparatus described above are designed only for push-up exercises. As can be ascertained from the above discussion, there remains a need for an exercise device that, for example, a) allows for more than one exercise, b) allows vertical adjustability to positions that allow persons of various abilities to perform the exercise, c) allows for handle adjustments that, once set, can be held in place, d) is adjustable widthwise to allow arm span adjustments and/or e) can be folded to provided for easy storage.